I met this wonderful business woman, Patty Dietz, at one of my networking events who is an Exercise Physiologist and it got me to thinking that working at home I no longer get out and am as physically active as I once was.  So I asked Patty to give me some physical fitness tips for the home worker and thought you might enjoy them as well.  I hope they get you moving as much as they will for me. 

You work at home, sitting at a desk all day or maybe at a workbench creating the wonderful delights that you sell. Whatever your business, working at home can cause some “cabin fever”, restlessness, physical tension and a decreased level of fitness (i.e weight gain!). Never fear, there are some things that you can do to break up your day and get some exercise without committing a big chunk of time.

• Chair squats – sitting straight in your seat with your feet flat on the floor and not using your hands/arms to help – Stand up, then sit down, then stand up again and sit down repeat 8-10 times
• Low back stretch – sitting straight in your seat with your feet flat on the floor, bend at the waist and let arms hang between legs towards floor, take 5 deep breaths, inhaling through your nose and exhaling in puffs through your mouth
  Arm Jacks – sitting straight in your seat with your feet flat on the floor, arms hanging at sides, perform the arm movement of jumping jacks at moderate to fast speed, repeat 8 – 10 times
• Buttocks stretch – sitting straight in your seat with one foot flat on the floor and the other leg crossed over the planted leg, ankle at the knee (like a man might sit casually), press down on the crossed knee with your hand as you bend at waist towards the bent knee, hold for 2 count, sit back up and lean against back of chair for 2 count, repeat 5 times.
• Chair crunches – sitting straight in your seat with your feet flat on the floor, knees at greater than 90 degree angle, grasp the seat of the chair with your hands, pull knees towards chest lifting feet off of floor (no need to worry about getting the knees all the way up to the chest), then lower feet back to floor, repeat 8-10 times
• Chest and shoulder stretch – sitting straight in your seat with your feet flat on the floor, place your hands on the back of the head, down low near the neck (do not clasp hands), without bending head down pull the elbows back and hold for 5 seconds, relax and repeat 5 times
• Shoulder circles – sitting straight in your seat with your feet flat on the floor, lift shoulders up , back down and forward (making circles), repeat 5 times. You can also hold each position for 2 seconds, consciously contracting all the muscles in the shoulder and upper back, before moving to the next position. My suggestion – mix it up and do both ways

Take a break every 60 to 90 minutes to just walk around the house, maybe do some spot cleaning or just check things out.

Drink plenty of water, dehydration occurs even without activity and sweating and can cause fatigue

Brought to you by Patty Dietz, MS, Exercise Physiologist and owner of Health Fitness Specialists. She is now offering a special deal until March 17, 2009 – On line personal training, 3 months for $75.00 with the $40 joining fee waived. For more information, contact her at pdietz@healthfitnessspecialists.com. To subscribe to her Health Fitness News e-newsletter, or to find out more about Health Fitness Specialists, go to www.healthfitnessspecialists.com